Re: Whole house fan

["pranab" <m.pranab@xxxxxxxxx>]

Jack Ak wrote:
> "Jim Baber" <jim@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:SMednY54lPbJz2PfRVn-oQ@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> >
> >
> > B Fuhrmann wrote:
> >
> > >Has anyone tried using some sort of powered air input to the house so that a
> > >whole house fan can be run without opening windows?
> > >
> > >
> > This could be a good idea, in fact it would solve the difficulty I've
> > had with finding actuators suitable for my windows.
> >
> > >Two ideas are going through my mind:
> > >
> > >A fan blowing into the lower part of the townhome (a very vertical design)
> > >but the air may just make a bee line between that room and the whole house
> > >fan.
> > >
> > >
> > Perhaps, if you could vent outside air into the HVAC return air duct so
> > that this air would be drawn thru the HVAC plenum and all the normal AC
> > delivery ducts into each room with a cooling vent and then finally
> > outside from the wholehouse fan.
> >
> > This outside air vent would probably suffice and might not even need a
> > blower. If this airflow did need a boost, the existing "fan" that is
> > frequently controlled by the AC thermostat would work, if its was mode
> > switch was changed from AUTO to ON.  This plenum vent would require a
> > butterfly valve to close the vent into the plenum for normal "auto"
> > operation and I know these are available reasonably.
> >
> > >A fan or a passive input to the forced air system input.  A little more
> > >difficult to set up but the cool air would be distributed to all the rooms.
> > >
> > >With either of these systems, it would only require controlling a couple
> > >power circuits to run the system.  No need to figure out how to open/close
> > >windows.
> > >
> > >Any ideas out there?
> > >
> > I do like your idea
>
> Wouldn't the "other" source of outside air require the same cubic feet/minute
> air flow rate as the whole house fan?  Put a second whole house fan in a wall
> oriented for inward air flow and turn both on at the same time.  The air flow
> wouldn't reach other rooms unless those rooms were in the path between fans.
>
> My whole house fan is thermostat controlled.  I use an X10 Appliance Module
> to keep it off when the house is unoccupied.